


Red Carnations

by Nozoroomie



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Dia is a brilliant florist and Kanan is an athlete and very gay, F/F, Mari is the real mvp honestly, The original Dia birthday fic that I only posted on tumblr rip, flower shop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 00:18:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9467051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nozoroomie/pseuds/Nozoroomie
Summary: Dia didn't think being introduced to Mari's hot athletic friend would have a lasting impression on her, but when said girl returns the next day to buy one of her seedlings, Dia begins to have other thoughts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A prompt filled out earlier this month that I somehow forgot to post here? I quickly went through and fixed up some mistakes that were pointed out when I posted it to tumblr. Sorry for the delay!  
> All italicized words said by Mari are said in either English/Italian!

 

The bell on the door of the shop chimes as it’s pushed open and the girl at the counter looks up from her inventory sheet. She throws on her warmest smile and looks in the direction of the door. She opens her mouth to call out a friendly greeting until she notices the familiar tall form and blonde hair of her best friend.

“Ah, Mari.” Dia frowns, crossing her arms and watching as Mari’s head turns towards her.

“DIA~” She shouts happily with a small skip in her step. “It’s _lovely_ to see you~”

“If you’re not here to buy flowers today, I suggest coming back at a later hour.” Dia replies, going right back to her inventory sheet. “I’m getting this week’s inventory organized and seeing what I might have to order for the following week. We’re making arrangements for a wedding soon and we need to be ready.”

“Yes yes, I know, that’s why I brought you some help~!” Mari’s says in a sing song voice. “I remember you told me your sister has decided to leave the business, and that leaves only you and Maru-chan left to run Azalea, _right_ ~?”

Dia looks up from her paper to see Mari right in her face, her bright eyes practically glistening. Dia can feel a bead of sweat form and she sighs.

“Well, yes,” she begins, “I haven’t even put a job description up yet, and I’m far from ready to do an interview today. Plus, I’m not quite... certain that whomever you’d recruited to help us is fit for the position. I know what you, Yoshiko-san and Riko-san spend the weekends doing.”

Mari laughs.

“Trust me Dia! You will like her. She’s a hardworking girl who needs something to keep her busy~ Right Kanan?”

Dia’s attention is brought to a girl who lingers at the front of the shop, leaning over and examining the marigold displays at the front. The girl in question looks up at the sound of her name and she smiles. Dia can feel her face heat up from how her indigo hair contrasts with the vibrant orange blossoms and when the girl makes her way over to them, Dia’s amazed to see how tanned the girl in question is.

“I’d answer yes, but I’m not so sure what I’m answering yes to.” The girl, Kanan, admits. She has a sheepish smile on her face and Dia almost frowns.

How could Mari bring someone so attractive into her shop and tell her she wants the job she hasn’t even officially put up yet?

“Well, you’re smart to.” Dia replies.

Kanan laughs a bit before politely bowing.

“My name is Matsuura Kanan.” She introduces, “Part time diver and training to get on the olympic swim team.”

Dia awkwardly returns the bow, introducing herself.

“K-Kurosawa Dia. Business woman and full time florist.”

Dia watches as Kanan beams in her direction and she almost melts. What a dazzling smile.

“Well, now that you both know each other-” Mari cuts in, giving Dia knowing eyes, “What do you say? Does she get the job?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Dia objects, forgetting about the smile and turning to her taller friend, “We haven’t had a proper interview! I don’t have any sort of resume, references, I have no details about her past or current work experiences and frankly, I don’t quite have time to do an interview, as I mentioned.”

Mari pouts.

“Oh _come on_ Dia! You have a perfectly capable girl ready to be hired at any moment and you’re going to say no because you can’t interview her?!”

“Absolutely, yes.” Dia deadpans.

Mari frowns but her guest begins to laugh.

“Mari, she makes a good point.” Kanan points out and Mari’s frown only deepens.

“I know but! I really hoped I’d be able to get my two best friends in the same spot. Visiting you both while you’re at work would be so much easier for our schedules!”

“Mari-san.” Dia says with a frown. “Whatever you were planning, please. Just stop.”

“Well, it’s not like that was my real goal any way.” Mari sighs and looks at Dia. “Are you sure you can’t hire her? She’s qualified for every task, and strong! She can lift so much! Her strength is like, w _ow_!”

“Mari-san, I appreciate your help, but as a business owner I must be professional. If Matsuura-san would truly like to work here, then she can bring a resume and I can schedule an interview with her in the near future.”

Kanan smiles.

“That’s only fair.” She says.

“Now, I hate to push you out so early, but I really must get this inventory done before close.” Dia decides, not wanting to waste any more time than she needs to. “Unless, you’d both like to purchase something..?”

She lets the sentence trail off and Mari laughs.

“I think I’m fine. What about you, Kanan?”

Kanan ponders it for a moment.

“You know, maybe I might. I’ll stop by tomorrow, if that’s okay? You’ll be here, right?”

“Of course.” Dia replies. “The only days I’m not here are Sunday’s and Mondays, when we’re closed.”

Kanan smiles.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

* * *

 

Sure enough, Kanan shows up bright and early, a few minutes after the shop opens. Dia’s busy watering the plants out front, her red apron on and a small smile on her face. Kanan watches her with a smile as she moves from one pot to the next, not paying attention or even noticing her arrival. Kanan rests against the wall of the shop and watches as Dia leans down, inspecting her arrangement of day lilies with careful hands.

“I can see you, you know.” Dia says eventually, not glancing her way.

Kanan’s smile grows.

“And yet you said nothing?” She quips playfully and Dia smiles.

“Well, I am working after all.” She turns to her and green eyes meet violet and hold her gaze. “How can I help you today, Matsuura-san? Is it possible you brought a resume for me?”

Kanan shakes her head.

“Not today, unfortunately. I have a friend whose father works on the ferry, so we’re going to see if I can get a part time job at the office there.”

Dia nods.

“I wish you luck with your job hunt.”

“Thank you, Kurosawa-san.” She gives her that beautiful, dazzling smile and continues to speak, “I would like your help in picking out some seeds. Maybe some beginners gardening tools?”

Dia smiles.

“Of course. Follow me inside.”

They spend an hour going through the shop. Dia asks questions about any information Kanan has about gardening, which is surprisingly not as limited as she expects. Dia hands her some instructional pamphlets and points out the best beginners flowers for her. Kanan talks about how she would like to bring a lot more colour to her apartment, and how she knows caring for a few potted flowers might be a nice hobby to do when she finds herself at home for long periods of time.

In the end the two of them decide maybe purchasing an already growing flower might be the best route for Kanan to go down, especially since her apartment has no room for a large amount of garden supplies. Kanan finds herself scanning the small pots with different tags labeling which flowers have been planted in its soil.

“This is such a hard choice.” Kanan admits. “I’m not even sure what flower to choose. They all look like they’ll grow to be beautiful plants.”

“Take your time.” Dia reassures, “The right one will come to you.”

Kanan thinks about all the flowers in front of her more and glances to Dia.

“Which one would you choose?” She asks with a small smile. “If you were me, what plant would you go for?”

Dia contemplates it for a moment, before picking up a small pot. It’s plastic is firm, tough, and unlike the others it has yet to begin sprouting. Dia holds the pot carefully in her hands as she looks to Kanan.

“ _Dianthus caryophyllus_. The Carnation.” the brunette answers in a soft voice. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to successfully grow any carnations that aren’t pink or white. This pot here has the final red carnation seeds I’ll get for the season, and while I doubt they’ll be able to bloom, I really do think getting some time out of my shop might be their chance to grow and become the beautiful flowers they’re meant to be.”

Kanan watches as Dia’s gaze lingers on the undisturbed soil for a moment before she puts the pot back.

“However, it would burden me more to sell you a flower that might not even bloom. So, I recommend any of the-”

“I’ll take it.”

Dia’s surprised by how determined Kanan’s voice is. She feels her ears heat up as she looks at the dark haired girl and watches her pick up the pot she placed down. Kanan holds it closer and smiles down at the small pot before turning her gaze to Dia.

“This is the one I’ll take. I’ll be leaving with it, if you don’t mind.”

Dia only stares at the other girl for a moment, hoping the red of her ears doesn’t stand out too much. She watches as Kanan uses her other hand to fish into her back pocket, turning to move towards the counter and pull out her wallet. Dia frowns slightly, but follows.

“Are you sure?” She voices her concern. “There’s no guarantee that this flower will grow, and I’m not one to give refunds for faulty seeds.”

Kanan laughs.

“I won’t take any refunds if she doesn’t grow. But I’m taking her and giving her a home and I’ll make sure she does her best.”

Dia doesn’t prompt any further. If the beautiful girl wants to buy her last red carnation, who is she to object? She steps over to her till and begins to cash her out. Kanan hands her exact change and gives Dia another smile, different this time. It’s a bit shy.

“So, before I leave to introduce this small flower to her new home, any final tips? Things I should look out for or do to help her grow?”

Dia considers going over everything they went through earlier but decides to let Kanan part with one last piece of wisdom.

“Talk to it.” She answers, “About anything really. Tell it about your day. The things you like, anything. It’s been proven communicating with your flowers can help with their growth.”

Kanan laughs again and nods.

“Got it. Thank you, Dia.”

She gives her a small wave before making her way to the door and exiting.

* * *

 

A new morning ritual begins from then on. Dia always finds Kanan ready to greet her the moment she begins watering the flowers for the morning. They don’t talk about much. Dia asks about the carnation and Kanan answers on it’s progress. Kanan will update her about her day, how great a workout she did and how the water felt if she had an early morning swim.

They talk about their mutual friend quite a lot. Kanan had been Mari’s childhood friend throughout their schooling, while Dia met Mari through social events and was her college roommate. The fact the two of them hadn’t met one another throughout that time is a complete mystery to them, but Dia isn’t ashamed to admit she’s happy to have met someone who plays such an important part in Mari’s life.

Each visit Kanan pays to her small shop has Dia feeling happy. Whenever she hears the familiar footsteps of Kanan approaching her, or hears that upbeat voice or gets the chance to see that happy, tanned face of hers, Dia feels blessed. It isn’t until they exchange phone numbers that Dia realizes just how happy a simple message from the other girl can make her, even if it’s something as simple as a picture of the carnation plant that’s formed a small seedling, or a good morning message when Kanan has to work and is unable to stop by the shop.

The budding crush Dia has goes far from unnoticed and she inwardly sighs. The more she talks with her, the more it grows. The more she wants to know about the other girl.

She wants to tell Mari off, be offended that she introduced her to such a perfect girl, but on another hand she wants to thank Mari, because without her she wouldn’t have such a great presence in her otherwise boring life (aside from her beloved little sister, whom she will never be bored of.) Kanan is amazing. She’s nothing short of fantastic and Dia wishes she could find a way to tell her that herself, but there’s no point.

There’s just no use telling her when Dia knows there’s a good chance she’s straight.

A ping from her phone pulls her from her thoughts and Dia finds a message from said girl. She swipes open the screen and is greeted by an image of a tall plant stock and at the end of it is a small bud in bloom, with tips dyed a a bright and beautiful red. Her eyes widen and she smiles as a follow up message is sent to her.

“Here she is :D!” Is all Kanan’s text says.

“Incredible!! You did it (＾＾)ｂ” Dia replies

“Heh, thanks. I think the talking step really helped with her growth.”

“Oh yeah? What did you tell her about?”

Dia’s phone is silent for a bit and she wonders if Kanan’s gotten busy, but the reply soon comes in the form of two words.

“Honestly? You.”

Dia reads the words over and over again, unsure of what to think. Talking about her? What exactly did Kanan say? Did she tell the plant all about her business? Possibly all her hard work that she does to grow the most beautiful flowers in the area? Dia doesn’t stop the blush from forming and another message pops up from Kanan.

“I told her all about you. How hard you work, your favourite colour, the colour of your eyes and the cute little barretts you wear. I told her about the way you smile at the sight of a bud forming on every flower and how you greet the small planters every morning before watering them. How every time you work on an arrangement the smell of each flower always lingers.”

Dia inhales sharply as another quick reply is sent from Kanan.

“Oh geeze, That last comment makes me sound like a creep!! I didn’t mean it in a negative way or anything, I just think you always smell really nice (〃ー〃) ”

Dia’s practically a tomato at this point, noticing the blushey emoji Kanan adds to the end of that reply. Her heart races and her eyes are glued to the small phone screen. She fumbles with her phone a bit and her hands shake as she begins to type out a reply, a small bit of hope forming in the pit of her stomach.

“You just told the seedling all about me to encourage it to grow?! Why on earth would you talk about me of all things?”

When fifteen minutes go by and there’s no sign of a reply, Dia huffs and begins to pace.

Why would Kanan talk about all those things? There’s several different things that it can imply. Kanan might want the plant to know its roots. Where it all began and the kind of person that began to help its life grow. Maybe Kanan thinks that it might be interesting to talk about someone who works with plants. Maybe she thought that something related to what the plant is familiar with might encourage it to grow. That is a small possibility.

Or perhaps the reason Kanan talks to the carnation a lot about her is because she just might like-

Dia shakes her head and smacks her cheeks with both her hands. That is the most unlikely answer she could ever determine. There’s no possibility of it being that. Kanan’s never said anything about her sexual identity and Dia’s just setting herself up for heartbreak if she continues to think about this. Unless there’s a chance Mari knows-

Forgetting her previous train of though she dashes for her phone. She picks it up, going to her important contacts and immediately begins to call her. The phone rings once. Twice. There’s a third ring before the other line is picked up.

“ _Hello_ ~ Mari speaking!”

“Mari,” Dia states her name seriously, “I need you to clarify something with me. Right. Now.”

“Dia?! You never call me without letting me know the day before! _What’s up_?!”

“What is Kanan’s dating preferences?!” She practically shouts into the receiver. “Mari, I know you know!”

Mari’s laughter comes from the other line and Dia groans.

“This isn’t the time for laughter! I’m serious!”

“I-I’m sorry! This isn’t what I expected at all! _Oh my god,_ Dia you’re so adorable!”

Mari continues to laugh and if Dia weren’t the proper mannered girl she is, she’d hang up on the spot. She can tell Mari’s trying to collect her bearings but the moment she sounds calm, she starts laughing again. Dia’s hand grips her phone tightly and she grumbles.

“Ohara Mari you are absolutely ridiculous”

“Me?! I beg to differ!” She continues to laugh and Dia pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Mari, please! I need you to answer me because-”

“You’ve got a crush on her, right~?”

Dia’s lips form a tight line and Mari giggles.

“Oh~ Did I guess right~?” She teases and Dia sighs.

“Alright, yes. You did. It’s inevitable, really, you brought one of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen to my shop and she’s been visiting me every day and-”

“Aw~ I didn’t think she’d visit you every day. That’s sweet.” Mari’s voice is soft when she replies and Dia takes note in it as she presses on.

“Yes, well as I was saying-”

“Dia, remember the first winter after we became roommates and I brought Riko-chan over to study with us?” Mari suddenly cuts off, taking her back to their college days.

“Well, yes, but what has that got to do with this?” Dia frowns, staring out the window.

“Remember when Riko left to take a call from her girlfriend and you were surprised to learn she was dating a girl?” Mari asks in that same soft voice.

“Yes. Yes I remember that.” She answers.

“What was it that I told you after that?”

Dia begins to wrack her brain for the answer. She remembers they were all under the kotatsu, because it was winter break and it was pretty cold outside. She was working on her research paper while Riko and Mari focused on math. She made the comment to Mari offhandedly and Mari laughed and said-

Dia gasps and before she can reply, Mari laughs.

“Sounds like you figured it out~ _Ciao,_ Dia!”

The phone call ends with a blip and Dia places her phone down. Her mouth is agape and all she can do is quietly repeat what Mari said that evening long ago.

“It’s not that surprising when you know all my friends are gay.”

There’s a sharp knock at her door and Dia practically jumps four feet in her surprise. She quickly shoves these thoughts aside, knowing it might be Ruby coming by to drop off the books she borrowed. She takes a moment to compose herself, brushing a few strands of hair from her face and flattening her dress before walking to the front door. She opens it up, ready to greet her sister but words don’t even form when she notices who it really is.

Kanan stands there, the potted carnation in her hands and a tiny blush on her face. She gives Dia a crooked smile and Dia swallows the growing lump in her throat.

“Hey.” Kanan greets.

Dia doesn’t know what to say and only nods.

“I uh. I thought it might be easier to explain myself in person, rather than text.” Kanan explains.

“And.. you brought your carnation?”

Kanan blushes a bit.

“May I come in?” She asks, changing the subject.

Dia pushes the door open a bit more and steps inside. Kanan follows and Dia closes the door behind her. She shuffles out of the doorway while Kanan kicks off her shoes. Dia decides to distract herself with making some tea for the two of them and Kanan follows her inside, looking at the various decorations around the house before seating herself at the small table in the center of the living room. She sets the flower pot gently on the table in front of her and takes her time looking around Dia’s house while she lingers in the kitchen.

It doesn’t take Dia long to return with two mugs of tea and with a slightly shaky hand, she places it down in front of Kanan and takes a seat across the table from her. Kanan thanks her, putting her hands around the mug and looking down at the steam rising from it. They don’t say anything for a few moments, and in the silence Dia swears her heartbeat must be the loudest thing in the room.

“I uhm,” Kanan eventually starts, looking up from her tea, “I guess I should tell you why I talked to the flower about you.”

‘Absolutely.’ Dia wants to say, but she only gives a small nod.

“I… well, whenever I found myself going to talk to the flower, I just couldn’t think of anything. I know you told me that you can talk about literally everything with the flower, but it felt weird trying to talk to a plant about my workout routine and hobbies. It just felt like I was bragging about things many people do to no one in particular.”

Dia can understand that.

“So I tried thinking of different things to talk about. Talking about entertainment with the flower is hard since I rarely keep up with anything, and well, I thought back to you. I thought to myself ‘What might Dia talk about with her flower?’ and in the end I just- started talking about you.”

Kanan’s crooked smile makes it’s way back to her lips and she shrugs a little.

“One day I’m telling the little flower that you’re the really sweet florist who was afraid to sell me a plant that might not grow, the next I’m telling her about what happened when I saw you earlier in the day. It just felt right, talking to the flower about you. It felt good. It reminded me of the look you had, the day I bought her from you. The soft look in your eyes and the way your voice sounded. I felt the maybe you’re silent wish for the carnation to bloom might help encourage it and so I decided to continue talking about you to give it that daily boost of love; because you love all your flowers and because I-”

Kanan cuts herself off and Dia notices the growing dark hue to her cheeks. Kanan swallows and looks Dia head on. Dia’s face heats up once more and Kanan speaks in a clear voice.

“I continued to talk about you because at the time I thought, maybe I was feeling something for you. I know we had just met and it’s stupid, thinking you might be falling for someone in the first week of knowing them, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Thinking about you made me really happy, I smiled with every thought of you. I wanted to see you so many more times than I was to try and confirm these budding feelings but the more I lingered on it, the more swept up I became.”

If Dia’s hopes weren’t high earlier, they definitely are now. The words that Kanan says, the slightly shy tone to her voice, that gentle, warm gaze she keeps throwing Dia’s way, all of them are telltale signs of an obvious crush. Dia knows that with all of her being. But even knowing doesn’t stop that little bubble of dread from popping and Dia almost recoils at the realization that signs mean nothing and she could be misunderstanding it all. She clears her throat, deciding it’s her turn to speak.

“You couldn’t stop thinking about me?” She asks. Kanan nods.

“Mhhm. Ever since that day with Mari, the moment I saw you I just-”

She stops speaking and chuckles, shaking her head.

“Geeze, what am I doing?” She lets go of her cup and pushes the plant towards Dia. “You’re familiar with the language of flowers, yes?”

Dia frowns at the topic change and gives a curt nod.

“Okay, good. So you can tell me what it means to give someone a light red carnation then, right?”

“Admiration.” She answers instantly. “To give someone a red carnation can be a way to tell someone you really admire them.”

“Right! Yeah. But look at this one- look at _our_ carnation.”

Dia almost blushes from how Kanan stresses that it’s not just hers, but theirs and she stares at the small petals that have recently bloomed. In the picture Kanan sent earlier, it seemed a lot lighter, giving off a light red feeling, but as she examines the small blossom she notices the deeper hues inside the petals and she doesn’t face Kanan.

“It’s a lot darker.”

“R-right. And a dark red carnation can symbolise-”

“A deep love. Affection.” Dia cuts her off with a faint whisper.

The two of them fall silent. Dia’s heart races as Kanan’s shy display with the carnation gets her point across. Kanan knows she doesn’t need to say anymore and Dia, as happy as she is to hear this, can’t utter a single thing. She feels like this might be a very realistic dream.

“You love me?” Dia eventually asks, looking directly at Kanan.

The other girl blushes heavily.

“I-I might. It might be love. It’s hard to tell right now but I know for certain I hold a huge amount of affection for you and I- Well I mean, maybe this huge amount of affection is love? It could be love. Maybe. I might be wrong. Oh god this is a mess. I’m a mess.”

Dia watches as Kanan crosses her arms and looks at the table as she fumbles with her sentence. Her face is reddening the more she embarrasses herself but it doesn’t stop the smile that grows on Dia’s lips. She leans in a bit while Kanan goes on.

“-Anyway my real point here is that I really, really like you and I thought this would be a neat way of telling you and-”

Kanan cuts herself off when she feels Dia’s hands gently folding over top of her own. She glances to them, then back to Dia’s face. Dia’s still smiling and Kanan swallows again.

“I like you too, Kanan.” She says.

The silence that follows is a comforting one. Kanan’s smile radiates all the happiness she feels and Dia can’t help but feel the same way. The two of them lean closer to one another and as their lips meet for the first time, their small little carnation opens its petals a tiny bit more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, commenting and leaving kudos! Every little bit means a lot to me ;u;!


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